Absolutely, this isn’t the end of the story by any means, just the latest plot twist.

If it were most public companies the shareholders would just go with the highest cash offer but with News Corp Murdoch has 40% voting rights so he could choose otherwise. Maybe he doesn’t care, he’s old and just wants the money for his family. Stay tuned for the next epsiode…

Maybe he doesn’t care, he’s old and just wants the money for his family.

I think it’s more about his sons influence than their money. Lachlan and James are kings of the world, and the wealth that’ll come from this sale will also provide power. Disney aren’t welcoming James in, and James has ambition like only a world prince could have (the Chief knows him and we’ve talked about him). Maybe Comcast can offer him something different, maybe Disney can offer him a way to change the world.

And maybe Apple will offer to buy both Disney and Fox because they have to do something with all their cash.

Yeah that’s a fair point, he was very keen to always put James in a key position even after the News of the Srews debacle would have made it easier if he’d been out of sight.

It’s hard really to tell his motivations because selling the bulk of the company is the last thing I’d expected him to do. It’s hard to tell with money because the sums are so astronomical does an extra $2bn matter to them?

It’s hard really to tell his motivations because selling the bulk of the company is the last thing I’d expected him to do.

He sees the writing on the wall. I heard a great story about him. He met with the CEO of Netflix back in the day, and the CEO was asking for all the Fox media to stream on his service. He shares revenue predictions, growth plans, explained that this was the future. At the end of the lunch Rupert said he believed every word. But rather than give his stuff to Netflix, he’d just make his own streaming service and eliminate Netflix.

Imagine you’re the CEO of Netflix in that moment.

The balls he had were amazing. He responded that Rupert can go right ahead, but it’d be one of a hundred business ventures Fox would be perusing. Whereas all Netflix would be focused on was streaming. And because of that Netflix would win. Rupert smiled and left.

Three hours later the CEO got a call. Rupert had thought about it and agreed with his take. And he offered him the Fox media he wanted.

All this is to say Rupert is really really smart. He’s been portrayed as a conservative monster or a doddering fool but he’s as smart as they come. And he sees the streaming wars coming, the entertainment wars coming. And understand that there’s only going to be a few winners and Fox likely won’t be one of them. So he’s selling to leverage the asset into something different and new.

One of Satan’s most deceptive and powerful ways of defeating us is to get us to believe a lie. And the biggest lie is that there are no consequences to our own doing. Satan will give you whatever you ask for if it will lead you where he ultimately wants you.
Charles Stanley

All this is to say Rupert is really really smart. He’s been portrayed as a conservative monster or a doddering fool but he’s as smart as they come.

Well the conservative monster part could be justified but all the rest would be nonsense. Whether you like him or not he’s an amazing businessman, it’s no Trump scenario, he’s built an empire himself. Took one newspaper in Oz until he dominated the press and TV there, moved to the UK to do the same and then in the US. Everyone thought he was a mug with Sky when it was losing money and now it’s a money making machine.

It’s hard really to tell his motivations because selling the bulk of the company is the last thing I’d expected him to do.

He sees the writing on the wall. I heard a great story about him. He met with the CEO of Netflix back in the day, and the CEO was asking for all the Fox media to stream on his service. He shares revenue predictions, growth plans, explained that this was the future. At the end of the lunch Rupert said he believed every word. But rather than give his stuff to Netflix, he’d just make his own streaming service and eliminate Netflix.

Imagine you’re the CEO of Netflix in that moment.

The balls he had were amazing. He responded that Rupert can go right ahead, but it’d be one of a hundred business ventures Fox would be perusing. Whereas all Netflix would be focused on was streaming. And because of that Netflix would win. Rupert smiled and left.

Three hours later the CEO got a call. Rupert had thought about it and agreed with his take. And he offered him the Fox media he wanted.

All this is to say Rupert is really really smart. He’s been portrayed as a conservative monster or a doddering fool but he’s as smart as they come. And he sees the streaming wars coming, the entertainment wars coming. And understand that there’s only going to be a few winners and Fox likely won’t be one of them. So he’s selling to leverage the asset into something different and new.

Maybe he spent 20 minutes in the FX Now streaming app, which is a huge piece of shit.

Really? There are loads of stadiums (stadia?) that have been named after corporations and brands through these kinds of sponsorships.

There are (in fact that one was already called Etihad) but I think the point is that they are usually airlines or financial companies. I’m thinking of the Aviva in Dublin, Principality in Cardiff, Etihad in Manchester, Emirates in London. I can’t think of any entertainment companies that sponsor a stadium off the top of my head.

Really? There are loads of stadiums (stadia?) that have been named after corporations and brands through these kinds of sponsorships.

There are (in fact that one was already called Etihad) but I think the point is that they are usually airlines or financial companies. I’m thinking of the Aviva in Dublin, Principality in Cardiff, Etihad in Manchester, Emirates in London. I can’t think of any entertainment companies that sponsor a stadium off the top of my head.

The Manchester Evening News arena was the first one that sprang to mind for me.

Really? There are loads of stadiums (stadia?) that have been named after corporations and brands through these kinds of sponsorships.

There are (in fact that one was already called Etihad) but I think the point is that they are usually airlines or financial companies. I’m thinking of the Aviva in Dublin, Principality in Cardiff, Etihad in Manchester, Emirates in London. I can’t think of any entertainment companies that sponsor a stadium off the top of my head.

The Manchester Evening News arena was the first one that sprang to mind for me.

2010 (Off season) Minute Maid Park, previously known as The Ballpark at Union Station, Enron Field, and Astros Field, is a ballpark in Downtown Houston, Texas, United States, that opened in 2000 to house the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball (MLB). The ballpark is Houston's first retractable-roofed stadium, and features a natural grass playing field. The ballpark was built as a replacement of the Astrodome, the first domed sports stadium ever built, which opened in 1965. It is named for bev...

The Meadowlands Arena in East Rutherford NJ was previously called the Izod Center; before that it was the Continental Airlines Arena; and it was originally named the Brendan Byrne Arena after a former governor of the state. Next door, the former Giants Stadium was torn down and replaced by the new MetLife Stadium.

On the other hand, the old Yankees Stadium in the Bronx was torn down and replaced by the new Yankees Stadium. Some traditions are worth saving.

The following is a list of sports venues with sole naming rights:
In Australia, the most important distinction regarding outdoor stadiums is the shape of their fields:
A few stadiums with oval fields have movable seating that can readily accommodate rectangular-field sports.
In accord with Canadian English usage, "football" refers to Canadian football unless otherwise indicated, and association football is called "soccer".

I kind of get it but I wouldn’t really categorise an evening newspaper or a Coca-Cola owned orange drink as an ‘entertainment’ company in the same way as Marvel. It may be on Dave’s list but I have missed any Paramount Pictures or Penguin Books or Hasbro stadia.